Board of Directors

Founded in 1937, our chapter reflects the innovation, standards of excellence, and industry and population diversity for which the Bay Area is known and celebrated.

2017-2018

Zakiya Johnson, Immediate Past President and Program Lead

Zakiya has been a member of the AMA SF since 2015, serving on the board in the area of event planning and logistics. She has also served on the board of the Marketing Research Association (MRA) in the same capacity. She is a graduate of Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a focus in Public Relations. She has a strong administrative background supporting C-level Executives for the past 12 years. She is now with Stacy and Witbeck a Civil Engineering firm where she leads the charge in corporate events and office management. In addition to that, in 2016 she launched her own event planning business, EventZ, which specializes in weddings. Her background also includes content writing, design and even finance. > LinkedIn

Amy Franjesevic, President

(It’s pronounced fran-JEZ-uh-vik.) Amy has honed her marketing skills in disciplines ranging from creative and brand development to event planning and promotions. Her experience spans fields from retail advertising to environmental technology—but the common thread is her proven ability to build brand and marketing strategies that are grounded in research and a justifiable rationale. Amy holds a degree in Visual Communications from Kent State University and a Certificate of Marketing from UC Berkeley Extension. She is, admittedly, a bit of a joiner. She has held board positions with AMA SF since it was called sfAMA. As an undergrad, she was the Publicity Chair on the All Campus Programming Board at her university and has continued her affiliation with them as a board member of the Kent State University Bay Area Alumni Association. In her day job, Amy works as a Marketing Administrator at AC Transit. > LinkedIn

Ken McCormick, Immediate Past President

Ken McCormick has been an AMA member since 2004. Ken will be going into his 6th year serving on the AMA SF board as Immediate Past President. Ken is active in the transformation of AMA’s customer journey re-design and a strong supporter of elevating the AMA experience to be relevant and engaging. Ken is also the founder of Visual Identity, printed media providing print solutions for startups, boutique agencies, and Multinational Corporation since 1985. VI specializes in advertising media that leverages tactile advantages to create measurable push/pull interaction in the digital space. > LinkedIn

Kati Norrod, Vice President of Business Management

Kati is a graduate of Western Illinois University. Shortly after moving to the Bay Area, she was bit by the tech bug and became the Executive Assistant to the CEO of Zuckerberg Media. Throughout her years in the Bay she has gain experience supporting high level executives in multiple verticals and industries. Today she is a Senior Executive Assistant at Yelp. Being a highly organized and insightful strategic partner has enabled her to be the president of Phi Epsilon Sigma Kinesiology Honors Society and an advisory board member of the San Francisco Admin Awards. In her spare time, she enjoys a good book and a glass of wine on a rooftop. Fun Fact: middle name is legally Sunshine. > LinkedIn

Courtney McKee, Treasurer

Courtney McKee is excited to bring her extensive knowledge and experience from the investment and accounting realms to the AMA SF this year. With 15 years of experience in administrative, operational, accounting and back office positions, Courtney has developed an invaluable and diverse skill set including cooperative leadership, organizational aptitude, employee training, accounting expertise, process improvement, flexibility as well as creativity and innovation. Courtney is a graduate from the University of California Davis, the New England College of Finance/U.C. Berkeley Extension and Santa Clara University. She is currently studying for her CPA license while working for Standish Management, a fund administrator who specializes in private equity and venture capital accounting services. While new to AMA, she’s looking forward to jumping right in to assist in the growth and development of AMA SF’s vision and values for the 2017-2018 year. > LinkedIn

Shefali Billon, Vice President of Strategic Solutions

Shefali Billon has been a long time AMA member and re-joined the board of the San Francisco chapter in 2015 as an Advisory Board Member. Shefali is the current VP of Chapter Relations, managing relationships of strategic partners for the chapter. Shefali strongly supports the mission of the AMA SF to be both a thought leader and a helpful resource in keeping marketing and communications’ professionals connected and current. Shefali is a seasoned marketing, communications and business development professional with over 20 years’ experience in the technology, education, women’s advancement and healthy industries. She is the owner of Lumina Consulting, and has held senior marketing and development roles in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. She has spoken at the following organizations’ conferences: Social Media for Non-profits, The Direct Marketing Association and the International Society for Technology in Education. > LinkedIn

Gene Filipi, Vice President of Sponsorship

Gene Filipi has been an AMA SF member since 1999 and is a former Past President. During his tenure as President he led the chapter to win the coveted “Turn it Up Chapter of the Year” as well as a much-deserved Merit Award for its Communications efforts. Gene draws upon two decades of successful sales, marketing and market research experience. He strongly believes in the benefits of a connected and collaborative community of marketers. Gene is the Business Development Director at Focus Vision, a global leader in quantitative and qualitative market research software and was previously the Director of Sales for Kinesis Survey Technologies and has held positions at Lieberman Research Worldwide, as well as the Gallup Organization. > LinkedIn

Rommell Montenegro, Vice President of Programming

Rommell has dedicated his career to custom market research. Most recently as a Senior Research Analyst at CBS Interactive (CBSi), Rommell conducted custom quantitative and qualitative research, executed syndicated research analysis and analyzed 3rd party industry analyst reports to advise the editorial, advertising sales and product management of ZDNet, Tech Republic, Smart Planet and CNET Downloads.

Before CBSi while at TNS, Greenberg Strategy and Hall and Partners Rommell designed and managed custom research from concept to final analysis for Fortune500 software and hardware technology companies. He has completed the online certification in the Principles of Marketing Research at UGA and also has a B.A. in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from University of California, Berkeley. > LinkedIn

Jennifer Sherry, Vice President of Partnerships & Alliances

Jennifer Sherry has spent 10+ years executing initiatives around business strategy, marketing and sales. She has been a member of the AMA SF since 2016, serving in the role of Strategic Alliances. She is also a Board Member at Society of Product Development, a non-profit associated with 3M and focused on accelerating concurrent innovation. Other areas of involvement in the community includes mentorship, supporting non-profits focused on children's welfare, moving the global agenda around visibility for Woman and Girls along with animal cruelty.

In her role as Founder, and CMO at Tallyho!, she works with some of the world's top brands such as U.S. Bank, 3M and Estee Lauder. Bringing people and process together while infusing innovation to driving extraordinary business results. Specific noted skills include: Business and Marketing Strategy, Content Writing and Media Relations. Past positions held include, SVP of Business Strategy, Investor Relations and Media Relations, and Director of PR and Marketing. > LinkedIn

Julie Tyler, Senior Vice President of Executive Circle

Julie Tyler (Gueorguieva) is Vice President of Marketing for the national commercial real estate lending segment of the Corporate and Institutional Banking business within PNC Bank, N.A. She has over 15 years’ experience in financial services with a background in customer experience, digital marketing, brand extension, and cause marketing.

Before joining PNC, Julie was in marketing and operations in the technology industry including Scient and Comms People, and in design and marketing in the fashion industry in New York. Julie holds an undergraduate degree with honors from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and a Bachelor of Arts from Golden Gate University where she was graduated summa cum laude. > LinkedIn

Liz Wade, Vice President of Engagement

Liz Wade is a proven marketing leader with over 15 years of consumer and business strategy experience at Fortune 500 companies, agencies and nonprofits. She is passionate about connecting brands with their audiences and using data-driven marketing solutions to generate new business. Her mission is to move clean energy and technology into the mainstream. Liz earned a BS in Management Science from MIT and an MBA in Marketing from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. > LinkedIn

Eric Weidner, Vice President of Technology

Eric has been a AMA SF member since 2010. His vision for a successful AMA SF is to bring together technology, knowledge and thought leadership to help others in the marketing community succeed. He wholeheartedly believes his fellow members and the AMA SF’s resources have helped him stay informed and connected to the overall practice of great marketing. As the owner of Workbox, Eric provides leadership to his clients by tapping into his extensive marketing and technology background to design and build websites and web apps, and run sophisticated online marketing campaigns for clients such as Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Hestan, and SanDisk. > LinkedIn

Bruce Yandell, Senior Vice President of Membership

Bruce is President of Cubizm, a Consumer Insights and Business Strategy Consulting Firm that helps clients accelerate their business growth through effective design of their products, services, and customer experience. He is an experienced Marketing, User Insights and Innovation Executive, working with a broad range of B2C and B2B clients to enhance their product-market fit and develop go-to market strategies that build value and market differentiation. His work covers an extensive list of multinational companies and startups across industries and topics, including: Consumer Packaged Goods, Software and new Technology, IoT, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Finance, Consumer Electronics, Social Innovation, and Digital Technology in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central, and South America. Bruce has a Masters in Management from Northwestern University, J.L. Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Fermentation Science from the University of California at Davis. > Linkedin

Thomas Moyer, Vice President of Membership

In his current role, Thomas leads the integrated media team to drive strategy and media activation for his clients. Thomas brings a decade of experience working with Fortune 500 clientele across the agency, publisher and technology sides of the digital business in roles that include media, sales engineer and product marketing. Thomas has worked with a diverse clientele such as: Capital Group, Logitech, Workday, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Hotwire, Microsoft, and many others. Further, Thomas is a part time professor at UCSC Extension teaching digital marketing related courses. > LinkedIn

Melanie Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Melanie is a digital marketing thought leader, with articles featured by Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Simply Measured, and Blue Acorn. Her industry insights focus on catering to the millennial consumer through innovative marketing tactics like the incorporation of user generated content, creating a seamless omni-channel experience, and optimizing email marketing. As the Head of Business Operations at Pixlee, a visual marketing platform, Melanie bridges the operational gap between marketing, sales, and customer success. Before Pixlee, she was in sales and operations for a children’s influencer brand focusing on luxury travel, partnering with brands like Exclusive Resorts and United Airlines. She graduated summa cum laude from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and International Law. She joined the AMA SF board in 2018 as the VP of Communications. > LinkedIn

Lauren LaScala, Director of Events

Lauren LaScala has over 10 years of experience in the hospitality and events industry. She earned a degree in Sports Entertainment and Event management from Johnson & Wales University of Denver, Colorado and is also a Certified Wedding Planner. Through the years she has worked in all aspects of the industry; for private clubs, hotels, restaurants and a number of private employers.

Prior to joining The American Marketing Association, she served as an Executive Assistant to a prominent global business development corporation. Much of these experiences have prepared her for the role she holds currently as the Events Director for the American Marketing Associations San Francisco chapter.
Lauren started moonlighting with several startup firms in 2013 and quickly became a leader in the local event and business community. She has directed numerous events with tremendous success while building an even more powerful reputation and increased network.

Lauren currently resides in the east bay with her beloved dog Clyde. When she’s not planning fabulous events around the city you can find her practicing her art skills, planning her next trip to somewhere exciting, or volunteering and spending time with her large extended family.

Alex Tiberi, Director of Analytics

Alex comes to AMA SF with a unique perspective from experiences within the internet marketing and sports marketing sectors. An enthusiastic communicator, his contribution to a successful SF Chapter is found in leveraging digital strategy along with data and analytics to better connect with the local marketing community as a whole. As the President of aptDigital, a PPC & SEO management company, Alex takes pride in educating his clients on how to best integrate inbound lead generation with an effective sales pipeline. > LinkedIn